In this episode of Let's Get Emotional, hosts Tatiana Rojas and Dr. Jennifer Martin Schantz take a deep, compassionate look at one of the most painful and misunderstood human emotions: shame. While shame often hides beneath the surface of our thoughts, relationships, and behaviors, it can profoundly impact self-esteem, mental health, emotional regulation, and overall wellbeing.

If you've ever found yourself thinking "I'm not enough," "I'm a failure," or "Something is wrong with me," this episode explores why shame develops, how it differs from guilt, and why understanding the difference can be a powerful step toward healing.

Tatiana and Jennifer unpack the psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary purpose of shame, explaining how this self-conscious emotion developed as a social survival mechanism designed to maintain connection and prevent rejection. They also discuss how chronic or toxic shame can become deeply damaging, leading to withdrawal, isolation, self-criticism, depression, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders, trauma responses, and difficulties with relationships.

You'll learn how shame shows up physically through blushing, chest tightness, stomach discomfort, nervous system activation, lowered posture, avoidance, and the urge to hide. The hosts also explore the developmental roots of shame, including how childhood experiences such as criticism, humiliation, conditional love, and peer rejection can shape lifelong patterns of self-worth and emotional wellbeing.

Drawing from research, clinical practice, and real-world examples, this episode examines how shame affects children, teens, and adults differently while offering practical tools for building self-compassion, emotional resilience, and healthier self-talk.

Whether you're struggling with low self-esteem, perfectionism, people-pleasing, trauma recovery, social anxiety, chronic illness stigma, parenting challenges, or feelings of inadequacy, this conversation offers valuable insights and actionable strategies to help you break free from the shame cycle and reconnect with your authentic self.

In This Episode:

• What shame is and how it differs from guilt
• The psychology and neuroscience of shame
• Why shame is considered a self-conscious emotion
• How shame developed as a social survival mechanism
• The difference between "I am bad" and "I did something bad"
• Physical signs of shame in the body and nervous system
• How shame impacts self-esteem, identity, and emotional health
• The connection between shame, depression, anxiety, and trauma
• How shame contributes to addiction, eating disorders, and secrecy
• The developmental roots of shame in childhood
• The role of criticism, humiliation, and conditional acceptance
• Common shame triggers related to body image, parenting, health, finances, and relationships
• Understanding the shame cycle and why it reinforces isolation
• How shame shows up differently in children, teens, and adults
• Why self-compassion is one of the most effective antidotes to shame
• Practical strategies for emotional regulation and healing
• How to respond to yourself with empathy instead of self-criticism
• Tools for breaking patterns of toxic shame and building resilience

Links & Resources:

Tatiana Rojas - https://getherapyservices.com/

Disclaimer: Let's Get Emotional is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace mental health care. If you are in crisis or need immediate support, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis hotline in your area.

In this episode of Let's Get Emotional, hosts Tatiana Rojas and Dr. Jennifer Martin Schantz explore one of the most common yet misunderstood emotions we experience: guilt. While guilt is often uncomfortable, it can serve an important psychological purpose by helping us recognize when our actions conflict with our values, repair relationships, and strengthen empathy.

If you've ever found yourself replaying conversations, feeling responsible for things outside your control, struggling with parenting guilt, caregiver guilt, anxiety, or self-blame, this episode provides practical tools to help you better understand what guilt is, why it happens, and how to respond to it in healthier ways.

Tatiana and Jennifer break down the psychology and neuroscience of guilt, explaining how this self-conscious emotion develops through self-awareness, moral reasoning, empathy, and social connection. They discuss the difference between healthy guilt and unhealthy guilt, highlighting how guilt can motivate accountability and growth while also becoming overwhelming when it turns into excessive self-blame, rumination, or distorted responsibility.

You'll learn how guilt shows up across different stages of life, from childhood and adolescence to adulthood, and how it often manifests physically through chest tightness, stomach discomfort, restlessness, racing thoughts, difficulty sleeping, and emotional distress.

Drawing from research, therapeutic approaches, and real-world clinical experiences, the hosts discuss the connection between guilt and mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, OCD, trauma, PTSD, and chronic stress. They also explore why parents and caregivers frequently experience guilt and how self-compassion can help create healthier emotional balance.

Whether you're struggling with relationship guilt, parenting guilt, caregiver burnout, self-criticism, anxiety, or simply trying to understand your emotions more clearly, this episode offers actionable strategies for emotional healing, self-awareness, and personal growth.

In This Episode:

• What guilt is and why it serves an important emotional purpose
• The difference between healthy guilt and unhealthy guilt
• How guilt relates to empathy, accountability, and relationship repair
• The neuroscience of guilt and the brain regions involved in moral reasoning
• Why self-awareness is essential for processing guilt effectively
• Common signs and symptoms of guilt in children, teens, and adults
• Physical sensations associated with guilt, anxiety, and emotional distress
• How guilt can contribute to anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and rumination
• Understanding parenting guilt and caregiver guilt
• Why excessive responsibility can create unhealthy guilt
• The role of self-compassion in emotional healing
• Practical strategies for repairing relationships and making amends
• The "Repair or Release" framework for managing guilt
• How to challenge distorted thoughts and reduce self-blame
• A simple apology formula for meaningful relationship repair
• Learning from mistakes without punishing yourself

Links & Resources:

Tatiana Rojas
https://getherapyservices.com/

Disclaimer:

Let's Get Emotional is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace mental health care. If you are in crisis or need immediate support, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis hotline in your area.

In this episode of Let's Get Emotional, hosts Tatiana Rojas and Dr. Jennifer Martin Schantz explore the powerful and often misunderstood emotion of peace. While many people think of peace as simply the absence of stress or conflict, this episode reveals how peace is actually a nervous system state rooted in safety, emotional regulation, acceptance, and inner calm.

If you've ever found yourself searching for more balance, less anxiety, or a quieter mind, this conversation offers practical insights into how peace develops in both the body and brain. The hosts explain the psychology and neuroscience of peace, including its connection to the parasympathetic nervous system, vagal tone, mindfulness, emotional wellbeing, and resilience.

You'll learn why peace feels different from happiness, how it shows up physically through slower breathing, reduced muscle tension, and decreased mental noise, and why creating a personalized "peace map" can help you access calm more consistently during stressful seasons of life.

Drawing from research, therapy practices, and real-world examples, Tatiana and Jennifer discuss how peace can be cultivated through mindfulness, self-compassion, healthy boundaries, meaningful relationships, nervous system regulation, and evidence-based therapeutic approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion-Focused Therapy, and EMDR.

Whether you're struggling with anxiety, burnout, overwhelm, trauma recovery, ADHD, chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, or simply looking for greater emotional balance, this episode provides actionable tools to help you reconnect with a sense of safety, grounding, and inner peace.

In This Episode:

• What peace really is and why it differs from happiness
• The neuroscience of peace and the parasympathetic nervous system
• How peace supports emotional regulation and resilience
• Signs your body is experiencing peace and safety
• The role of vagal tone, mindfulness, and nervous system regulation
• How anxiety, ADHD, trauma, and stress can interfere with peace
• Common physical sensations associated with inner calm
• The connection between self-compassion and emotional wellbeing
• How therapy approaches like ACT, Compassion-Focused Therapy, and EMDR support peace
• Creating your own personalized Peace Map
• Identifying people, places, routines, and activities that help you feel safe
• Practical strategies for reducing mental noise and inner conflict
• Daily habits that support lasting emotional wellness and stress reduction

Links & Resources:

Tatiana Rojas - https://getherapyservices.com/

Let's Get Emotional is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace mental health care. If you are in crisis or need immediate support, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis hotline in your area.

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In this episode of Let's Get Emotional, hosts Tatiana Rojas and Dr. Jennifer Martin Schantz explore one of the emotions we all seek but often struggle to define: happiness. While happiness is commonly associated with joy and excitement, this conversation reveals that it's much more nuanced than simply "feeling good."

Happiness can show up as joy, contentment, gratitude, peace, pride, connection, or a sense of meaning and purpose. It may arrive in big celebratory moments, but it can also be found in small everyday experiences—a warm cup of coffee, a meaningful conversation, a favorite memory, or a quiet moment of appreciation. This episode breaks down what happiness actually is, how researchers understand it, and why building a fulfilling life involves more than chasing positive emotions.

Tatiana and Jennifer explore the science behind happiness, including the difference between happiness as a temporary emotional state and happiness as a more stable personality trait. They discuss what happens in the brain and body when we feel happy, the role of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins, and the research-backed factors most strongly associated with long-term well-being.

You'll also hear practical ways happiness shows up across the lifespan—from toddlers and teens to adults—and learn simple evidence-based strategies for cultivating more moments of joy, connection, and meaning in everyday life.

Whether you're feeling disconnected from happiness, looking to strengthen your emotional well-being, or simply curious about what the science says, this episode offers a thoughtful and accessible guide to understanding happiness from both a psychological and practical perspective.

In This Episode:

• What happiness is and how it differs from emotions, feelings, and moods
• The difference between state happiness and trait happiness
• How happiness shows up physically in the body
• The science of happiness, including dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins
• Key brain regions associated with happiness and positive emotions
• Research from the Harvard Adult Development Study on relationships and well-being
• The difference between pleasure-based and meaning-based happiness
• The PERMA model of well-being and positive psychology
• How toddlers, children, teens, and adults experience and express happiness
• The importance of living in alignment with your values
• Evidence-based tools to increase happiness, including gratitude journaling, behavioral activation, acts of kindness, savoring exercises, and social connection
• A simple "Catch a Glimmer" practice to help anchor moments of joy and contentment

Links & Resources:

Tatiana Rojas – https://getherapyservices.com/

Let's Get Emotional is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace mental health care. If you are in crisis or need immediate support, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis hotline in your area.

In this episode of Let's Get Emotional, hosts Tatiana Rojas and Dr. Jennifer Martin Schantz take a deep, compassionate look at one of our most universally human emotions: sadness. Sometimes the hardest part isn't feeling the emotion — it's finding the words for it. This episode gives you those words, along with the science, the context, and the tools to understand and work with sadness rather than push it away.

Sadness is not weakness. It's information. It shows up when something meaningful has been lost, when we're disappointed, disconnected, or overwhelmed and it signals that something mattered. This episode breaks down what sadness actually is, how it differs from depression, and why learning to name and acknowledge it can be genuinely life-changing.

You'll hear the clinical and neurobiological side of sadness, including what's happening in the brain and body when we feel it, alongside relatable, practical descriptions of how sadness shows up at every age, from toddlers to adults. The hosts also share research-backed tools to help you move through sadness with greater self-compassion and emotional clarity.

Whether you're navigating grief, burnout, loneliness, or a low mood you can't quite explain, this episode offers a grounding and validating look at what sadness is really asking of us.

In This Episode:

• What sadness is and why it's a signal, not a flaw
• The many faces of sadness: grief, loneliness, numbness, overwhelm, and more
• How sadness shows up physically in the body
• How children, teens, and adults experience and express sadness differently
• The neurobiology of sadness and what's happening in the brain
• The key distinction between normal sadness and clinical depression
• Research-backed tools: behavioral activation, self-compassion, emotion labeling, and social connection
• Age-appropriate language and phrases to help name sadness across the lifespan
• A simple 2-minute bubble-blowing reset tool you can try today

Links & Resources:
Tatiana Rojas - https://getherapyservices.com/

Let's Get Emotional is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace mental health care. If you are in crisis or need immediate support, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis hotline in your area.

What is anger really and what is your body trying to tell you when you feel it?

In Episode 2 of Let's Get Emotional, hosts Tatiana Rojas and Dr. Jennifer Martin Schantz dive deep into one of the most misunderstood emotions: anger. Whether you're a parent trying to support a frustrated child, a teen learning to name what you feel, or an adult who wants to communicate more effectively under stress, this episode gives you the language, science, and practical tools to work with anger instead of against it.

Anger isn't a character flaw. It's a signal and learning to read that signal can transform your relationships, your communication, and your emotional health.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The neuroscience of anger: why it's a threat-response emotion and how it differs from fear
• How the brain and nervous system (including the amygdala) activate anger and prepare your body to move toward a problem, not away from it
• How anger physically shows up in the body: tight chest, racing heart, tunnel vision, flushed skin, muscle tension, and more
• Why anger is often a secondary emotion masking deeper feelings like grief, shame, fear, or loneliness
• Age-by-age language guide for describing and teaching anger, from toddlers and kids to teens and adults
• Phrases that help you communicate anger clearly and respectfully without shutting down or lashing out
• The A.N.G.E.R. Check-In: a 30-second grounding tool you can use the next time you feel overwhelmed or emotionally activated
• Why emotional vocabulary is one of the most powerful tools for emotional regulation, mental health, and better relationships

Topics Covered: Anger management | Emotional regulation | Nervous system | Amygdala and threat response | Secondary emotions | Anger in children | Emotional vocabulary | Parenting and big emotions | Stress and burnout | Setting boundaries | Trauma and emotional processing | Mental wellness | Therapy and emotional health

Whether you're navigating co-parenting challenges, workplace stress, relationship conflict, or just trying to understand why you snap sometimes this episode meets you where you are with compassion, research, and real talk.

Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and share this with someone who needs better words for what they feel.

Links & Resources:
Tatiana Rojas - https://getherapyservices.com/

Let's Get Emotional is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace mental health care. If you are in crisis or need immediate support, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis hotline in your area.

In the very first episode of Let's Get Emotional, hosts Tatiana Rojas and Dr. Jennifer Martin Schantz lay the foundation for understanding emotions, feelings, and moods and why naming them clearly can improve emotional regulation, mental health, communication, and relationships.

Many people struggle not because they have emotions, but because they were never taught how emotions actually work. This episode breaks down the science and psychology behind emotions in a practical, approachable way, helping listeners better understand what’s happening in both the body and mind.

You’ll learn the key differences between emotions, feelings, and moods, how emotions show up physically in the body, and why expanding your emotional vocabulary can help you respond to stress, anxiety, grief, overwhelm, anger, and other difficult experiences with greater clarity and self-awareness.

The hosts also discuss the connection between the nervous system, trauma, emotional processing, and therapy, while sharing relatable real-life examples and practical emotional wellness tools you can begin using immediately.

Whether you’re navigating anxiety, burnout, stress, trauma, relationships, parenting, or simply trying to better understand yourself, this episode offers a compassionate introduction to emotional awareness and mental wellbeing.

In This Episode:

• The difference between emotions, feelings, and moods
• Why emotions are signals and not problems
• How the body experiences emotions before the mind labels them
• The role of emotional vocabulary in emotional regulation
• How trauma, culture, and past experiences shape emotional responses
• Why naming emotions accurately improves communication and relationships
• Research-backed insights into the nervous system and emotional processing
• Simple emotional check-in questions you can use daily
• Common misconceptions about therapy and emotional health

Links & Resources:
Tatiana Rojas - https://getherapyservices.com/

Let's Get Emotional is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not therapy and does not replace mental health care. If you are in crisis or need immediate support, please contact your local emergency services or a crisis hotline in your area.